Are there any vestiges remaining of the site where Sakyamuni became a Buddha?
The site where Sakyamuni attained Buddhahood has been known as the Place of Enlightenment or Buddhagaya ever since. The Pippala tree there, as well as that kind of tree in general later became known as Bodhi tree. Bodi means enlightenment. Buddhagaya is situated in the southern suburbs of Gaya City in Bihar Pradesh of India today. In the course of more than twenty centuries, the Bodhi tree was twice chopped down and once blown over, but always sprouted again. The present Bodhi tree is a great grandson of the original one. At the plot where the Buddha sat under the tree is a stone-carved diamond pedestal (Vajrasana). To the east of the tree is a majestic thupa (S.stupa) temple known as Mahabodhi Arama with a history of over 18 centuries, and nearby are a number of traces of the Buddha and ancient carved stones and constructions. In 1956, the government of Bihar Pradesh appointed an international advisory committee to supervise the construction and administration of the Holy Land. At its invitation the Buddhist Association of China, sent two delegates to that committee.